Three Bextra lawsuits were filed against Pfizer Inc. on behalf of three individuals who allegedly were injured by the pain relief drug, Bextra, the Philadelphia law firm Kline & Specter, P.C. announced Monday in a statement.
Two of the plaintiffs suffered heart attacks and one sustained a stroke after taking Bextra, attorneys for the plaintiffs stated.
Pfizer, the world’s largest drug maker, suspended sales of Bextra in the United States and the European Union on Thursday after the Food and Drug Administration concluded that its overall risk versus benefit profile is “unfavorable.”
Bextra belongs to a class of drugs called Cox-2 inhibitors, including Celebrex, another Pfizer drug, and Vioxx, made by Merck & Company. All three painkillers have been amid controversy since September 2004, after Merck pulled Vioxx from the market because it was found to increase a patients’ risk of heart attack and stroke after 18 months of use.
But unlike Vioxx, Bextra was taken off the market because of its potential to cause a rare but serious skin reaction, which is already disclosed on its label, Pfizer said.
The Bextra lawsuits, filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York on Friday, claim Pfizer failed to adequately and properly test Bextra, and failed to warn doctors, patients and others about its potential risks.
The plaintiffs in the Bextra lawsuits are:
- Luis G. Flores, 33, of Texas, who suffered a heart attack on Aug. 5, 2004 and, as a result, was forced to undergo two stent implantation surgeries.
- Jimmy Kitchen, 67, of Arkansas, who suffered a heart attack on June 12, 2002.
- Theodis Maddox, Jr., 48, of Arkansas, who suffered a stroke and temporary paralysis and weakness on his right side.
(via PR Newswire)
11 responses so far ↓
James A Sinclair // Apr 11, 2005 at 5:23 pm
Bextra was the only drug that allowed me to function somewhat normally. Now that is’t gone, what will I do?? This drug will not cause all takers to have heart attacks and strokes, so why take it off the market??
John Smith // Apr 11, 2005 at 9:45 pm
After 12 years of horrible pain, BEXTRA changed my life (for the better). I’ve tried every other drug on the market. ANY LAWYERS INTERESTED IN FILING A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST THE FDA (IF THAT IS EVEN POSSIBLE)? The FDA said there was no discernable difference between CELEBREX and BEXTRA. My doctors have a very different opinion as do many other patients I have read about. Ask any pain clinician if two drugs are interchangeable.
What can patients do. How many suicides will result from the withdrawal of BEXTRA. How does that compare to the risk of fatal skin reaction?
Carol // Apr 13, 2005 at 12:34 pm
My husband died from a massive heart attack after taking Bextra. He left behind 3 small children. I am outraged that the drug company withheld information for the sake of profits! I’d like to hear from other who have lost loved ones because of this drug. I understand the benefits however he and his doctor would have made other choices.
Ann Taylor // Apr 14, 2005 at 7:26 am
i have used bextra for several years and before that i used celebrex, i have multiple levels of buldging and herneated disks. for years i have sufferd with cronic pain and stiffness, these drugs helped me so much, and i have really become to rely on them… just to get through the day, i have been to hospital two different times in the last four years, with heart and blood pressure emergencies, followed with each time with a four day stay even to the point of two heart caths… they find that i have irr. heart rythms, and to the point of the heart even stoping for several seconds … and the lower left portion of the heart is damanaged… i am in a rage about these drugs and the state of my health… i am in the time of my life that i can afford to travel and do the things that i have always wanted to do, but now i have trouble just getting through each and every day… loading up on drugs, ice packs, and heating pads, yea just what i always wanted to do!!! what makes me even more angry is i am only one of many that are in the same condition and what is left for us now? do you try to find a laywer to help with your situation, or just sit back and try another drug, and another…..
feel free to contact me with any options, i am felling about as low as u an get…
to whom it may concern
Ann
Amy Johnson // Apr 27, 2005 at 9:30 am
Before August 13th, 2004, my mother was a vibrant, energetic, healthy,58-year old woman. In fact, her ONLY medical condition was that she was awaiting a complete left knee replacement, suffering from arthritis. She had absolutley NO medical history nor did she have any health risks. Her physician prescribed her Bextra, 20mg, twice a day. She took this medication for almost 2 years. And then tragedy struck. On August 13th, 2004, my mother suffered a massive stroke with complete paralysis on her left side. Our family was devastated. Nothing about the stroke made any sense and no one could give us any kind of explanation why this happened. Ironically, while my mother was in the hospital and in the rehab facility, the staff continued to medicate her with Bextra.
Now, instead of enjoying retirement and traveling with my father, she is confined to a wheelchair and is completely dependent on others for her every day activities. I am outraged and very, very angry that a pharmacutical company would submit a drug, like Bextra, to the public, knowing full well the risks that were involved with taking Bextra. Luckily, I did not lose my mother altogether but I still feel like the mother I knew and loved in the past IS gone. And now I must develop a new and different relationship and role with my mother. It is unethical and criminal what Pfizer has done and they should pay to the fullest extent of the law.
David Peavy // Jun 1, 2005 at 5:01 pm
I was one of those rare people who contracted Steven-Johnsons Syndrome and I can tell you with a great deal of certainty you do not want to take the risk by taking Bextra. The hospital where I was treated had only seen two cases and the other person died within two days. I was fortunate.
Ricky Cherry // Jun 21, 2005 at 9:26 am
Four years ago I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). After trying Mobic then Vioxx with absolutely No pain relief, I was given Bextra. Immediately my chronic pain was less noticable. For almost four years I was taking one 20mg of Bextra every day and living a very normal lifestyle. I even had two stents placed around my heart during this process. The stents WERE NOT the fault of Bextra. It was ME, not eating properly and what I had genetically inherited that caused the artierial blockage. I just finished my last Bextra two weeks ago and had almost three days of severe joint pain that was as though my problems had started all over again. Without Bextra, I AM starting over and hope I can find an anti-inflammatory drug to once again, assist me with a normal life. It’s MY choice, NOT the government’s, if I want to take this medication. A skin problem doesn’t even come close to comparing to my pain. As far as any heart related problems, most of us don’t even know our real health condition. We just assume because we haven’t been to a doctor in a while that our organs are all functioning properly, only to find out some day that is not the case. We always want someone else to blame for everything
Edward Benoff // Jul 27, 2005 at 11:16 am
At 58 years of age, I suffered terribly with joint and lower back pains, limiting my ability to stand or bend, and causing me constant pain.
Vioxx and Celebrex did NOT work for me.
I tried Bextra, and it was like a miracle for me. I took 20mq/day for over two years.(No side affects) This was the first time in years that I could function like a normal adult.
Now with-out this “miracle” drug, I have reverted to constant pain, sleepless nights, and poor performance at work ( I can no longer sit at the computer for hours at a time! ).
Millions of people through out the world have come to depend on these Cox-2 inhibitors.
Why doesn’t the FDA determine the “at risk” groups, and let the millions of people helped by this class of drugs have their peace and comfort.
floy w.. pittman // Sep 2, 2005 at 2:58 pm
I could create my own heart attact by taking Bextra. If I laid off my dosage, my angina pain would subside. I endoed up with a quad by-pass and stroke.
Darlene Hart // Sep 14, 2005 at 12:23 am
I am a healthy 41 yr old female . I was injured at my job and perscribed bextra.through workmans comp in 2004 . i never had high blood pressure .my LDL was normal … in june of 2005 I had suffered a stroke I lost feeling in my left arm and hand . I still have not regained full strengh in my hand and cannot grasp or keep things in my left hand as things fall out of it . this is very frustrating I am to young for this to have happened ..and now must live with the fact that it may never come back.. I think that the FDA needs to really test any drug before putting it on the market . instead of pulling these drugs off the shelf after the fact of someone dying or have such problems. we are human beings not ginny pigs for new drugs on the market .
Ashley // Oct 27, 2005 at 10:14 pm
A physician who dates pharmaceutical and medical device reps, representing the drugs Bextra, Celebrex, and Ambien. And reps for medical devices such as spinal cord stimulators which are implanted into your back may not have your best interest at heart, He may have his own motivations. Every patient that came into our small Pasadena TX hospital for pre-op during the time he dated Lisa, was prescribed Bextra without ever seeing this MD. He left signed prescription pads for us to perform this duty under his instructions. We were forced to do this. This went on from late 2002-2003 When he fought with his girlfriend all patients were switched to Vioxx. Now that he is seeing someone who represents a company that implants spinal cord stimulators you can only imagine what is taking place as unsuspecting patients are being used to make his new girlfriend’s revenue skyrocket. If you are seeing a pain management/anesthesiologist in Pasadena TX PLEASE PLEASE realize you may be endangering yourself and the Dr. who appears to be kind and charming, who seems to care about you, may be benefiting from your care. Get a second opinion from someone with no ties to this group for you own safety. PLEASE Stimulators are being implanted by this physician in record numbers dont be a guniea pig for him to please her!
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